Rare Chinese herb used to produce healthier chicken eggs

It took two years of trial and error for designer eggs
that contain qualities of a rare Chinese herb to be produced in Singapore, with
30% less cholesterol than normal chicken eggs.

AP Nutripharm, a biotechnology firm, and egg producer Chew's
Agriculture say a chicken feed has been produced which resulted in eggs
containing a key component in cordyceps
sinensis, reputed to contain compounds that support healthy lung and kidney
function and anti- cancer, anti-bacteria and anti-inflammatory properties.

"Initially, our idea was to come up with an alternative chicken feed
additive for farmers who are facing higher feed costs as demand for corn and
other raw materials have gone up," said Nutripharm managing director Mark Xu.
"But the farmers were looking to create eggs with more nutritional value," he
added.

Xu continues in saying that Nutripharm has devised a way to cultivate
cordyceps sinensis on a large scale. The company owns a patent-approved
technology that can cultivate cordycep sinensis in 9.5 days, compared with a
year in nature, and the ingredients are being used as an additive in chicken
feed.